1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to baby bottle nipples. More particularly, the present invention relates to baby bottle nipples that simulate a woman""s breast.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Baby bottle nipples for feeding babies from bottles are known. Such devices allow mothers to bottle-feed their babies as a temporary or permanent alternative to breast-feeding. Babies become accustomed to the shape and function of a woman""s breast during breast-feeding. Due to the significant differences in the shape and function between a woman""s breast and conventional baby bottle nipples, babies experience difficulty in transitioning from breast-feeding to bottle-feeding. This can cause a baby to fail to take formula from a baby bottle nipple. Likewise, babies can grow accustomed to the shape and function of a particular conventional baby bottle nipple, creating difficulty for the baby to return to breast-feeding. This can cause a baby to fail to take milk from a woman""s breast because of a developed preference for the shape and function of the baby bottle nipple.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,732 to Sheehy, a nipple that claims to have a xe2x80x9cnatural formxe2x80x9d is disclosed. The nipple has an annular rim; lower, intermediate and upper segments; and a tip. The annular rim is used as a securing structure and is adjacent to and integrally formed with the lower segment having a large curved outer surface. The lower segment is adjacent to and integrally formed with the intermediate segment that has a smaller curved outer surface and is smaller than the lower segment. The intermediate segment is adjacent to and integrally formed with the upper segment that has a smaller curved outer surface than the intermediate segment. The upper segment is adjacent to and integrally formed with the tip. The disclosed nipple suffers from the drawback of having three segments or areas that do not simulate the shape and function of a woman""s breast.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nipple with an improved design.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nipple that assists babies in the transition between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a nipple with a shape and function simulating a woman""s breast.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are provided by a nipple that comprises a tapered stem that is connected to a base that is further connected to a securing structure. The base comprises an areola region and a bulbous region. The areola region is positioned between the stem and the bulbous region, and is designed to simulate the shape of the areola region of a woman""s breast. The bulbous region is positioned between the areola region and the securing structure, and is designed to simulate the shape of the region of a woman""s breast surrounding the areola region.
Other and further objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be understood by reference to the following.